Avignon

Avignon; the birthplace of the prestigious festival of contemporary theatre, European Capital of Culture in 2000, Avignon also has many museums, an opera house / theatre, an exhibition hall and a congress center with installations on the cutting edge of technology located within the outstanding premises of the Palais des Papes.

Only 2 hours and 40 minutes from Paris, one hour from Lyon and 30 minutes from Marseille by TGV (high speed train), Avignon offers numerous possibilities for sightseeing, activities and events, and also has plenty of attractive shops, places to discover Provençal cooking, local specialities and the Côtes du Rhône wines…

A bit of history...

Rugby league has been played in France since 1934. As with rugby union, it was introduced by the English and the heartland of the game is the south of the country. Rugby league is most popular in the south of France and France has one Super League team, Catalans Dragons.

National Rugby

The French national rugby league team are often nicknamed les Chanteclairs, after the cockerel which is the emblem of the team, or as les Tricolores. They have competed in every World Cup and European Nations Cup, as well as playing in other tournaments such the Victory Cup.

Did you know: France was the driving force behind the establishment of the Rugby League World Cup following the war. The first Rugby League World Cup was held in France in 1954, the Final at Parc des Princes was narrowly lost by France 12-16 to a young, underdog Great Britain. France played major international series against Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand. The 1951 and 1955 French tours of Australia, in which the French won both Test series 2-1, are still regarded as two of the strongest sides ever to tour Australia.

From the A41 motorway, take exit 16 toward Annecy. Keep following for Annecy into the city and continue straight onto the Boulevard de la Rocade. Continue until you see the signs for the Parc des Sport pointing left to the Avenue du Stade.

Parc des Sports is located in the north of the small city of Annecy, just under 2 kilometres from the train station and city centre. It takes about 20 minutes to walk to the stadium.